Biofilms and bacterial growth are currently a major problem in many industries including food, medicine and personal care. In essentially every field relating to hygiene, prevention of biofilms is a primary concern. Biofilm prevention is particularly important in the food processing industry as the attachment of bacteria and development of biofilms is a major cause of food spoilage and contamination. It is also critical to control biofilms on medical devices, wound care devices, personal care products and within surgical suites. Thus, products useful for inhibiting or preventing biofilm formation and thereby limiting bacterial growth are needed.
Methods to incorporate bioactive molecules with two or more functional groups into polymers have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,615, U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,807, US 2005/0089506 and US 2003/0035787. However, these methods are directed to bioactive molecules with two functional groups that allow the molecules to be incorporated into the backbone of the polymer.